Information processing apparatus, information collecting apparatus, and information collecting system

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, an information collecting apparatus includes a plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobile apparatus, each respective tag reader being configured to detect a wireless tag attached to an article that is within a detection range of the respective tag reader, a movement controller configured to control movement of the mobile apparatus within a search area along a plurality of routes, each route enclosing a different segment region of the search area, and a data processor configured to acquire tag detection information of the wireless tag during a time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in a particular route enclosing each segment region, aggregate the number of times for which the wireless tag is detected, and identify a particular segment region in which the wireless tag is present based on the aggregated number of times for which the wireless tag is detected.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-054703, filed in Mar. 21, 2017, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to an informationprocessing apparatus, an information collecting apparatus, and aninformation collecting system.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, there is an inventory management system which usesRFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) tags for tracking individualarticles such as commercial goods, books, or documents. The RFID tagattached to an article stores information, such as an identificationnumber (ID) uniquely assigned to the article, which can be read by anRFID tag reader. When the RFID tag reader simultaneously readsinformation from a plurality of RFID tags attached to articles spreadover a wide area, it may be necessary to identify a position or an areawhere each article is located. In the related art, there is a techniquefor detecting a distance and direction of the RFID tag from the RFID tagreader based on an intensity of radio waves received from the RFID tagby a directional antenna. However, in general, the intensity of theradio waves received from the RFID tag depends not only on its distancefrom the RFID tag reader but also on the RFID tag's relativeorientation. For this reason, if the RFID tags on the articles are notarranged in a fixed orientation, it becomes difficult to accuratelydetect a distance from the RFID tag reader based on the intensity of theradio waves received through the antenna.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a search area in which anarticle to be searched by an information collecting system according toan embodiment is arranged;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of arrangement of an article tobe searched by the information collecting system;

FIG. 3 is an external view illustrating an example of constitution of aninformation collecting apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an example of a detection range of theinformation collecting apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of constitution of acontrol system of the information collecting system;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an example of search segment regions and aroute for a search area of the information collecting system;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a search-related processing by the informationcollecting apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a sorting processing by the informationcollecting system;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a sorting processing in a specific direction bythe information collecting system;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a region estimation processing by theinformation collecting system; and

FIG. 11 is a table illustrating an example of the result of the regionestimation processing by the information collecting system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to an embodiment, an information collecting apparatus includesa plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobile apparatus, eachrespective tag reader being configured to detect a wireless tag attachedto an article located within a detection range of the respective tagreader, a movement controller configured to control movement of themobile apparatus within a search area along a plurality of routes, eachroute enclosing a different segment region of the search area, and adata processor configured to acquire tag detection information of thewireless tag during a time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in aparticular route enclosing each segment region, aggregate the number oftimes for which the wireless tag is detected, and identify a particularsegment region in which the wireless tag is present based on theaggregated number of times for which the wireless tag is detected.

Hereinafter, an embodiment is described with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

First, an operation of an information collecting system including aninformation collecting apparatus and an information processing apparatusaccording to the present embodiment is described. The informationcollecting system according to the present embodiment identifies aregion, e.g., a segment region or a search segment region, in which aparticular article is located within a predetermined search area inwhich a plurality of articles is known to be arranged. The informationcollecting apparatus collects information for identifying a regionwithin the search area, such as a shelf, on which an article is located.The information processing apparatus identifies the region on which thearticle is located based on the information collected by the informationcollecting apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the search area in which an article to besearched for by the information collecting system according to thepresent embodiment is disposed. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating anarrangement of an article to be searched for by the informationcollecting system.

In FIG. 1, an information collecting apparatus 1 is arranged so that anarticle within a detection range 2 can be detected along a specificdirection. In the present embodiment, the detection range 2 is a rangewithin which an RFID tag reader (hereinafter referred to simply as a tagreader) can detect an RFID tag (hereinafter referred to simply as a tag,also referred to as a wireless tag) attached to the article. Theinformation collecting apparatus 1 is equipped with the tag reader. Inthe information collecting apparatus 1, it is set that the range withinwhich the tag reader can detect the tag is equal to the detection range2. For example, the detection range 2 is designed according to thecharacteristics of a directional antenna of the tag reader.

The information collecting apparatus 1 collects information fordetecting articles in a search area surrounded by a wall 3. Theinformation collecting apparatus 1 can move within this search area. Thesearch area comprises a plurality of segment regions Ar, each of whichis a unit region in which presence or absence of an article to which thetag is attached is detected. In each segment region Ar, an article 7 towhich a tag 6 is attached is arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 2,each segment region Ar is a shelf on which articles 7 to which tags 6are respectively attached are arranged (one article is shown in FIG. 2).

The information collecting apparatus 1 moves around each segment regionAr along a movement route Ru. The movement route Ru is set so that thedetection range 2 of the information collecting apparatus 1 can coverthe entire segment region Ar. The movement route Ru is formed bycombining a plurality of route sections in specific moving directions.In FIG. 1, the movement route Ru includes four movement sections in fourdifferent directions with which each segment region Ar is enclosed in arectangular shape.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating constitution of the information collectingapparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the detection range 2. Asshown in FIG. 3, the information collecting apparatus 1 includes a casebody (main body) 11, wheels 12, a control device 13, a support body 14,and a plurality of tag readers 15 (15 a, 15 b, . . . 15 f, if each tagreader is referred to).

The wheels 12 and the support body 14 are assembled to the case body 11,and the control device 13 is mounted on the case body 11. The wheels 12rotate by a moving mechanism to move the case body 11 in a movingdirection indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3. In the present embodiment,the case body 11 moves along the movement route Ru surrounding thesegment region Ar and thus the case body 11 is provided with a mechanism(not shown) for changing moving directions. The mechanism for changingthe moving direction of the case body 11 may be provided on the wheels12 or may be provided separately from the wheels 12.

The control device 13 includes a data processing device 13 a and amovement control device 13 b. The data processing device 13 a performs,for example, communication with the tag via the tag reader 15,processing of data received from the tag, transmission/reception of datato or from a host device, and the like. The movement control device 13 bcontrols the movement of the information collecting apparatus 1. Thedata processing device 13 a and the movement control device 13 b areeach implemented by, for example, a computer. Both of the dataprocessing device 13 a and the movement control device 13 b may beimplemented by one computer.

In the present embodiment, the information collecting apparatus 1 is anautonomous or self-traveling type apparatus in which the internalcontrol device 13 controls movement of the case body 11 in the movingdirection and a change of the moving directions. However, theinformation collecting apparatus 1 is not limited to an autonomous type,but may be any type of the apparatus that can move along the movementroute Ru. For example, the information collecting apparatus may be adevice mounted on a carriage that is manually moved or may be a portabledevice that a person can move while holding the device in his/her hand.

The support body 14 is attached to the case body 11. The tag readers 15are attached to the support body 14. The tag reader 15 is a device thatcan wirelessly communicate with a tag attached to an article to readidentification information (ID) of the tag via radio waves transmittedfrom the tag. Each tag reader 15 includes a communication antenna and acommunication control unit. The detection range (communication range) 2of the tag reader 15, within which radio waves can be transmitted andreceived, is determined based on the characteristics of thecommunication antenna and the installation orientation of thecommunication antenna. In the present embodiment, the tag reader 15 isequipped with a directional antenna, which determines the communicationrange of the tag reader 15 as a detection range of the tag.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of tag readers 15 is mounted on thesupport body 14 in a row along a vertical direction. The tag readers 15are attached to the support body 14 so that the detection ranges 2 a, 2b, . . . , and, 2 f form the detection range 2 of the informationcollecting apparatus 1 as a whole. In FIG. 4, each tag reader 15 ismounted in a row in the vertical direction as described above.Therefore, the detection range 2 as a whole is wider than the individualdetection range 2 a to 2 f in the vertical direction. The tag readers 15can be installed at a position with a direction such that theinformation collecting apparatus 1 has the detection range with anappropriate size and location. In the present embodiment, the detectionrange 2 of each tag reader 15 a to 15 f is at the right side withrespect to the moving direction of the case body 11 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a constitution of the control system ofthe information collecting system. As shown in FIG. 5, the dataprocessing device 13 a and the movement control device 13 b of theinformation collecting apparatus 1 can communicate with a server 40,which is an example of the host device. The information collectingapparatus 1 and the server 40 constitute the information collectingsystem. The server 40 is an information processing apparatus thatprocesses data collected by the information collecting apparatus 1. Theserver 40 may perform a movement control for the information collectingapparatus 1.

In FIG. 5, the data processing device 13 a includes a processor 101, aROM 102, a RAM 103, a wireless communication interface (IF) 104, a wiredcommunication interface (IF) 105, a storage device 106, a tag readerinterface (reader IF) 107, an input device 108, a display device 109.

The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 101 realizesvarious processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM 102or the storage device 106. The ROM 102 stores programs executed by theprocessor 101, control data, or the like. The RAM 103 functions as aworking memory or a work area.

The wireless communication IF 104 is a communication unit forcommunicating with the server 40. For example, the processor 101transmits the collected information to the server 40 via the wirelesscommunication IF 104. The processor 101 receives information suppliedfrom the server 40 via the wireless communication IF 104.

The wired communication IF 105 is an interface for establishing acommunication connection with the movement control device 13 b. Forexample, the processor 101 acquires data relating to the movement of theinformation collecting apparatus 1 via the wired communication IF 105.The processor 101 may send a movement request or the like to themovement control device 13 b via the wired communication IF 105. Thewired communication IF 105 maybe an interface for being capable ofcommunication with the movement control device 13 b and may be aninterface that wirelessly communicates with the movement control device13 b.

The storage device 106 is, for example, a rewritable nonvolatile memory.The storage device 106 includes an SSD (Solid-State Drive), or an HDD(Hard Disk Drive). The storage device 106 stores programs executed bythe processor 101, control data, and the like. For example, the storagedevice 106 may store programs and data for executing respectiveprocessing described later. The storage device 106 stores data and thelike collected by processing described later.

The reader IF 107 is an interface for communicating with the tag reader15. The reader IF 107 may be connected to each tag reader 15 by a cableor maybe connected to each tag reader 15 by an wireless communicationinterface such as a Bluetooth.

The input device 108 is an operation device for inputting instructionsby a user. The display device 109 displays information. The input device108 and the display device 109 may be constituted with a display devicewith a touch panel. If a user instruction to the information collectingapparatus 1 is not required, the input device 108 may be omitted. If thedisplay of information in the information collecting apparatus 1 is alsounnecessary, the display device 109 may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the movement control device 13 b includes aprocessor 121, a ROM 122, a RAM 123, a wireless communication interface(IF) 124, a wired communication interface (IF) 125, a storage device126, a moving mechanism 127, an encoder 128, an IMU (InertialMeasurement Unit) 129, an LRF (Laser Range Finder) 130, a distancesensor 131, a contact sensor 132.

The processor 121 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 121 realizesvarious processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM 122or the storage device 126. The ROM 122 is a nonvolatile memory thatstores programs executed by the processor 121, control data, or thelike. The RAM 123 is a volatile memory functioning as a working memory.

The wireless communication IF 124 is a communication unit forcommunicating with the server 40. For example, the processor 121transmits data indicating a movement status, information detected byvarious sensors to the server 40 via the wireless communication IF 124.The processor 121 receives information supplied from the server 40 viathe wireless communication IF 104.

The wired communication IF 125 is an interface for communicating withthe data processing device 13 a. For example, the processor 121transmits data indicating the movement status and information detectedby various sensors to the data processing device 13 a via the wiredcommunication IF 125. The processor 121 may acquire information such asa movement instruction from the data processing device 13 a via thewired communication IF 125. The wired communication IF 125 may be aninterface for performing communication with the data processing device13 a and may be an interface that wirelessly communicates with the dataprocessing device 13 a.

The storage device 126 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storagedevice 126 includes, for example, an SSD or an HDD. The storage device126 stores data indicating the movement status, information detected byvarious sensors, and the like. The storage device 126 may store programsexecuted by the processor 101, control data, and the like. For example,the storage device 126 may store programs and data for realizing themovement control described later.

The moving mechanism 127 is a mechanism for moving the case body 11. Themoving mechanism 127 includes a motor for generating a driving force forrotating the wheels 12. The moving mechanism 127 also includes amechanism for changing the moving direction of the case body 11. Themoving mechanism 127 performs a movement of the case body 11 and achange of the moving direction according to an instruction from theprocessor 121.

The encoder 128 measures a rotation amount of the wheels 12. The IMU 129detects, for example, angles or angular velocity and acceleration indirections of three axes. The LRF 130 is a distance meter that measuresa distance by a laser. The 3D distance sensor 131 is a sensor fordetecting distance and direction in the three dimensions. The contactsensor 132 is a sensor that detects a contact between an object and thecontact sensor 132.

These sensors 128 to 132 acquire various kinds of information relatingto the movement, such as information indicating the movement status orprogress of the movement. The sensors 128 to 132 supply the acquiredinformation to the processor 121. The processor 121 performs movementcontrol of the case body 11 based on the information acquired from thesensors 128 to 132. For example, in the case of creating a map includinga movement route for the autonomous-traveling by using the LRF 130, theLRF 130 notifies the processor 121 of measured distance information, theencoder 128 notifies the processor 121 of the rotation amount of thewheels 12 to be measured, and the IMU 129 notifies the processor 121 ofrotation angle information. Based on these movement related information,the processor 121 performs an SLAM (Simultaneous Localization AndMapping) to create an accurate map. Thereafter, the LRF 130 notifies theprocessor 121 of the measured distance information, the encoder 128notifies the processor 121 of information indicating the rotation amountof the wheels 12, and the IMU 129 notifies the processor 121 of therotation angle information while the information collecting apparatus 1performs the autonomous-traveling. The processor 121 performs thematching between the measured distance information of the LRF 130 andthe map, and thus, the processor 121 accurately knows a current positionand an orientation (posture and direction) of the case body based on thecorrected and updated movement distance information by the encoder 128and the IMU 129.

In FIG. 5, the server 40 includes a processor 141, a ROM 142, a RAM 143,a wireless communication interface (IF) 144, a storage device 145, aninput device 146, a display device 147.

The processor 141 is, for example, a CPU. The processor 141 realizesvarious processing functions by executing programs stored in the ROM 142or the storage device 145. The ROM 142 stores programs executed by theprocessor 141, control data, or the like. The RAM 143 functions as aworking memory.

The wireless communication IF 144 is an interface for wirelesscommunication. The wireless communication IF 144 is an interface forcommunicating with the data processing device 13 a and/or the movementcontrol device 13 b. For example, the processor 141 receives informationcollected by the information collecting apparatus 1 from the dataprocessing device 13 a via the wireless communication IF 144. Theprocessor 141 receives data indicating the movement status (progress ofthe movement) of the information collecting apparatus 1 and informationdetected by the respective sensors from the movement control device 13 bvia the wireless communication IF 144. The processor 141 may supplyinformation such as an operation instruction to the data processingdevice 13 a or the movement control device 13 b via the wirelesscommunication IF 144.

The storage device 145 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The storagedevice 145 includes, for example, an SSD, or an HDD. The storage device145 stores data collected from the information collecting apparatus 1.The storage device 145 also stores information obtained as a result ofthe processing described later. The storage device 145 may storeprograms executed by the processor 141, control data, and the like.

The input device 146 is an operation device for inputting operationinstructions. The display device 147 displays information. For example,the input device 146 and the display device 147 may be constructed by adisplay device with a touch panel. The server 40 may be provided with aninterface for connecting with a printer for printing information on amedium such as a paper. The input device 146 and the display device 147may be omitted according to the operation state. The server 40 mayinclude a plurality of servers. For example, the server 40 may include adata processing server which communicates with the data processingdevice 13 a, and a movement control server which communicates with themovement control device 13 b.

In the present embodiment described above, the control device 13 isdescribed as a device in which the data processing device 13 a and themovement control device 13 b are separately arranged. However, thecontrol device 13 may be realized as a single device having thefunctions of both the data processing device 13 a and the movementcontrol device 13 b. A part of the processing functions described laterexecuted by the data processing device 13 a and the movement controldevice 13 b may be executed by the server 40. The data processing device13 a and the movement control device 13 b may execute part or all of theprocessing functions described later executed by the server 40.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a plurality of segment regions Arsurrounded by a corresponding movement route Ru in the search area inwhich the information collecting apparatus 1 searches an article. InFIG. 6, there are eight segment regions Ar (Ar 1, Ar 2 . . . Ar 8) inthe search area enclosed by the wall 3. For the segment regions Ar 8,corresponding movement routes Ru (Ru 1, Ru 2 . . . Ru 8) are establishedbeforehand, respectively. Each movement route Ru is determined tosurround a corresponding segment region Ar. Along the movement route Ru,the information collecting apparatus 1 moves such that the detectionrange 2 of each tag reader 15 thereof is oriented toward the segmentregion Ar. In each segment region Ar in contact with the wall 3, if thewall 3 is included in the detection range 2 of each tag reader 15, thewall 3 is electromagnetically shielded to ensure that tags locatedbeyond or outside of the wall are not detected. In the presentembodiment also, tags are not present beyond the wall within thedetection range 2, or IDs of tags beyond the wall within the detectionrange 2 are known beforehand and can be excluded from IDs of thedetected tags in each segment region.

In FIG. 6, the movement route Ru is formed by combining the routesections of four moving directions (Dir1, Dir2, Dir3, and Dir4) so thata rectangle segment region Ar is surrounded in a rectangle by thecombined route sections. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6,the four directions Dir1, Dir2, Dir3, and Dir4 indicate an upward, arightward, a downward, and a leftward directions, respectively.Specifically, the section Dir1 indicated by the dashed-dotted line inthe movement route Ru is a section in which the case body 11 is movedfrom the bottom to the top while the tag is searched from the left sideto the right side of the corresponding segment region Ar. The sectionDir2 indicated by the two-dot chain line in the movement route Ru is asection in which the case body 11 is moved from the left to the rightwhile the tag is searched from the top side to the bottom side of thecorresponding segment region Ar. The section Dir3 indicated by thedotted line in the movement route Ru is a section in which the case body11 is moved from the top to the bottom while the corresponding segmentregion Ar is searched from the right side to the left side. The sectionDir4 indicated by the solid line in the movement route Ru is a sectionin which the case body 11 is moved from the right to the left while thecorresponding segment region Ar is searched from the lower side to theupper side.

In the present embodiment described above, each movement route Ru isformed by a combination of sections in four moving directions as shownin FIG. 6. However, the movement route Ru may surround the segmentregion Ar with a combination of a plurality of sections in movingdirections and is not limited to the route surrounding in a rectanglewith the combination of the above-described four directions. Forexample, the movement route Ru may surround the segment region Ar with atriangle movement route in three directions. The movement route Ru maydepend on the shape of the segment region Ar.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an RFID tag search processing (also referred toas information collection processing) by the information collectingapparatus 1. In the present embodiment described below, the operation isexecuted mainly by the processor 101. However, the operation may be alsoexecuted mainly by the processor 121. The operation may be executedmainly by the processor 141 of the server 40 by sending an operationinstruction to the processor 101 or 121 of the control device 13.

First, the processor 101 initializes a counter for counting a number oftimes the tag is detected for each specific condition (ACT 11). Thecounter counts the number of times the tag is detected for each ID,detection direction, and an area. The counter registers, for example,Pos_count [id] [dir] [area]. Here, “id” is identification information(ID) read from the tag, “dir” is information indicating a tag detectiondirection, such as a section in the movement route Ru, and “area” isinformation indicating a segment region Ar. Thus, the Pos_count [id][dir] [area] counts the number of times each tag ID is detected whilemoving each section of the movement route Ru corresponding to thesegment region Ar.

When the counter is initialized, the processor 101 executes the searchprocessing for each segment region (hereinafter, also simply referred toas an area) (ACT 12). The processor 101 sets one area to be searched andmoves the case body 11 to a search start position in the movement route(hereinafter, also simply referred to as a route) of the area (ACT 13).For example, the processor 101 specifies information indicating a routecorresponding to an area or an area to be searched for to the processor121 and instructs the processor 121 to move to the specified route. Theprocessor 121 identifies the search start position (coordinates) in theroute specified by the processor 101. When the search start position isidentified, the processor 121 executes movement control from the currentposition to the identified search start position. The search startposition maybe an arbitrary position on the route and, for example, is acertain position specified by the coordinates in each route, or is aposition on the route closest to the current position.

When the case body 11 reaches the search start position, the processor101 moves the case body 11 on the route (ACT 14). At the time of movingthe case body 11, the processor 101 identifies a section on the route onwhich the case body 11 moves (ACT 15) and registers the section of theroute as “dir” in the Pos_count. While moving the case body 11 on theroute Ru, the processor 101 performs the detection processing of readingthe ID from the tag (ACT 16). The processor 101 executes the detectionprocessing of detecting the tag ID at a predetermined cycle while movingthe case body 11. In the detection processing, the case body 11 is movedin each section of the route to search the entire segment region Ar froma predetermined direction.

When the detection process is executed, the processor 101 counts the IDsdetected based on the detection result (ACTS 17-19). For example, theprocessor 101 increments the counter that sets “id” detected to thePos_count in which the “dir” and the “area” are being set. For example,if detecting an ID “0001” while moving the first section (Dir 1) of theroute Ru1 corresponding to the area Ar1, the processor 101 incrementsthe counter (Pos_count[0001] [1] [1]).

Each time the processor 101 executes the detection processing, theprocessor 101 checks whether the movement of one route is completed (ACT20). If the movement of one route is not completed (NO in ACT 20), theprocessor 101 returns to the processing in ACT 14 and executes theprocessing in ACTS 14-20 described above. On the other hand, if themovement of one route is completed (YES in ACT 20), the processor 101ends the search processing if the above-described processing iscompleted for the routes corresponding to all the areas (ACT 21). Ifthere is a route for which the search processing is not yet executed,the processor 101 executes the processing of the above-described ACTS12-20 to the route to which the search processing is not yet executed.

Through the search processing described above, the informationcollecting apparatus detects the tag from the route set for each segmentregion in the search area to collect detection information. Thedetection information includes information, such as detectioninformation, Pos_count [id] [dir] [area], obtained by counting thenumber of times the tag is detected for each ID, tag detection direction“dir,” and segment region “area”.

Next, a sort processing for aggregating the detection information isdescribed. The detection information obtained by the search processingis aggregated for each segment region by the sort processing. In thesort processing, the number of times each ID is detected in each segmentregion is aggregated for each ID. In the present embodiment, the serverexecutes the sort processing based on the detection information suppliedfrom the information collecting apparatus 1. However, the sortprocessing may be performed by the information collecting apparatus 1.In this case, the information collecting apparatus 1 also includes afunction, otherwise realized by the server 40, acting as an informationprocessing apparatus described later.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the sort processing by the server 40. Theprocessor 141 of the server 40 acquires detection information from theinformation collecting apparatus 1 (ACT 31). The detection informationincludes information of the counter (Pos_count [id] [dir] [area]) thatthe information collecting apparatus 1 obtains in the search processingdescribed above.

When the detection information is acquired, the processor 141 executesthe sort processing for each ID for all the IDs (ACT 32). The processor141 sets an ID to be sorted (target ID) and executes the sort processingin each direction for the target ID (ACTS 33-36). In the presentembodiment, the detection direction of the tag Dir1 is a rightwarddirection, the detection direction of the tag Dir2 is a downwarddirection, the detection direction of the tag Dir3 is set as a leftwarddirection, and the detection direction of the tag Dir4 is an upwarddirection. Sort processing in each direction (ACTS 33-36) may beperformed in any order.

As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 141 performs a rightward directionsort processing in which the number of detections of the tag performedin the rightward direction Dir1 is sorted (ACT 33). The processor 141extracts the value of the counter of the target ID fixed in therightward direction Dir1 and identifies the rightmost area. That is, inthe sort processing in the rightward direction, the processor 141extracts a counter (Pos_count [target ID ] [dir1] [area]) of each areain the rightward direction Dir1 for each target ID to be sorted. Theprocessor 141 specifies the counter of the rightmost area from thecounter that is Pos_count [target ID ] [dir1] [area]>0. Thus, theprocessor 141 specifies Pos_count [target ID ] [dir1] [rightmostarea]>0.

When the rightmost area is identified, the processor 141 initializes(sets to 0) a count value (Pos_count [target ID ] [dir1] [area to theleft of the rightmost area]) of the area at the left side of therightmost area. Depending on the positional relationship of each segmentregion, there is a possibility that the rightmost area is plural. Insuch a case, the processor 141 may select a plurality of rightmostareas.

The processor 141 then performs a leftward sort processing in which thenumber of detections of the tag performed in the leftward direction Dir3is sorted (ACT 34). The sort processing in the leftward direction is aprocessing in which the rightward direction and the leftward directionare exchanged in the rightward direction sort processing describedabove. That is, the processor 141 fixes the leftward direction Dir3 andidentifies the leftmost area among the areas in which the target ID isdetected. The processor 141 leaves the value of the counter in theleftmost area and initializes the value of the counter of the right areawith respect to the leftmost area.

The processor 141 performs an upward sort processing of sorting thenumber of detections performed in the upward direction Dir4 for thedetection method of the tag (ACT 35). The upward sort processing is aprocessing in which the rightward direction is replaced by the upwarddirection and the leftward direction is by the downward direction in therightward sort processing described above. In other words, the processor141 fixes the moving direction to the upward direction Dir4 andidentifies the uppermost area among the areas in which the target ID isdetected. The processor 141 leaves the value of the counter in theuppermost area and initializes the value of the counter in the lowerside area with respect to the uppermost area.

The processor 141 performs a downward sort processing of sorting thenumber of detections performed in the downward direction Dir2 (ACT 36).The downward sort processing is a processing in which the rightwarddirection is replaced by the downward direction and the leftwarddirection is by the upward direction in the rightward sort processingdescribed above. The processor 141 fixes the moving direction in thedownward direction Dir2 and identifies the lowermost area among theareas in which the target ID is detected. The processor 141 leaves thevalue of the counter in the lowermost area and initializes the value ofthe counter in the upper area with respect to the lowermost area.

When the sort processing in each direction is completed, the processor141 aggregates the counters for each segment region and calculates anaggregate value Ps for each segment region for the target ID (ACTS34-39).

Every time the aggregation for one ID is completed, the processor 141checks whether or not the aggregation for all the IDs is ended (ACT 40).If there is an uncalculated ID, the processor 141 returns to theprocessing in the above-described ACT 32 and executes the processing inACTS 32-39 to the uncalculated ID. In a case in which the aggregationfor all the IDs is completed, the processor 141 ends the sortprocessing.

According to the sort processing as described above, by sorting in eachdirection, the detection result of tags located outside the segmentregion corresponding to the search route can be eliminated from that inthe search processing. Furthermore, according to the above-describedsort processing, an aggregated value of the number of times the targetID is detected for each sort processing can be obtained.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation of a rightward sort processing asan example of sort processing in a specific direction. As a sortprocessing in the rightward direction, the processor 141 extracts thevalue of the counter in the rightward direction Dir1 for the target ID(ACT 51). For example, the processor 141 extracts Pos_count [target ID ][dir1] [area]>0. The processor 141 defines an area ranking definition(Pos order [right] [area]) defining an area located at the right side inthe rightward sort processing (ACT 52). As the area ranking definition,the area located at the rightmost position is set to a value 0, andascending order values are sequentially set to areas in order of beingpositioned at the left side.

If the area ranking definition is set, the processor 141 defines avariable (max dir: Md) and sets, as an initial value, the maximum valuethat the area ranking definition can take, i.e., the value located atthe leftmost position, in the variable Md (ACT 53). After setting theinitial value to the variable Md, the processor 141 performs a variable(Md) update processing for each segment region (ACTS 54-57). Theprocessing in ACTS 54-57 is a processing of determining the rightmostarea in which the ID is detected.

The processor 141 checks whether or not the count value (Pos_count[target ID ] [dir1] [area])>0 and the area ranking definition (Pos order[right] [area]) Md for each area (ACT 55). If the count value>0 and theranking definition Md (YES in ACT 55), the processor 141 sets the arearanking definition in the variable Md.

If updating the variable Md for all segment regions is completed (ACT57), the processor 141 initializes the value of the counter in the areaat the left side of the rightmost area (ACTS 58-61). This processing isperformed to initialize the value of the counter that counts the numberof times the tags located outside the segment region (search region) isdetected.

The processor 141 checks whether or not (Pos order [right] [area]) isequal to the variable Md for each segment region (ACT 59). If (Pos order[right] [area]) is not equal to the variable Md in one segment region(NO in ACT 59), the processor 141 initializes the value of the counterof the area (ACT 60). The processing in ACT 59 is performed to checkwhether the area which is targeted is the rightmost area. If it isdetermined that the area which is targeted is not the rightmost area,then the processor 141 initializes the value of the counter of the areaas described above.

According to the sort processing in the right direction as describedabove, the value of the counter that counts the number of detectionsperformed in the rightmost area for each ID is validated, and the valueof the counter that counts the number of detections performed in thearea at the left side of the rightmost area is initialized. As a result,the detection result of the tags located outside the segment regionsubject to the searching can be eliminated. The sort processing in therightward direction is described according to FIG. 9, but the sortprocessing in the leftward direction, upward direction, and downwarddirection can also be realized by the same processing procedure as theprocessing shown in FIG. 9.

Next, a region estimation processing of estimating the region in whichthe tag is present based on an aggregation result by the sort processingis described. According to the above-described sort processing,aggregated values obtained by aggregating the number of detectionsperformed for each segment region for each ID are obtained as theaggregation result. In the present embodiment, the server 40 executesthe region estimation processing of estimating the region in which thetag of each ID is present based on the aggregation result of the sortprocessing. However, the sort processing may be performed by theinformation collecting apparatus 1.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a region estimation processing by the server40 according to the present embodiment. The processor 141 of the server40 executes processing of estimating the region for each detected ID(ACTS 71-80). First, the processor 141 defines a variable Ms (max sum)and initializes the variable Ms (0 Ms) (ACT 72). The processor 141defines a variable Ma (max area) and sets an initial value (−1) to thevariable Ma (ACT 73).

The processor 141 sets initial values to the variables Ms and Ma asdescribed above, and then executes processing of identifying an areahaving the largest aggregated value (the number of detections performed)for the target ID (ACTS 74-78). The processor 141 checks whether anaggregated value (pos_sum [id] [area]) is greater than the variable Msfor each area (ACT 75). If the aggregated value is greater than thevariable Ms, the processor 141 sets the aggregated value (pos_sum [id][area]) of the area in the variable Ms (ACT 76) and sets the area in thevariable Ma (ACT 77).

After executing the processing in ACTS 75-77 for all the areas, theprocessor 141 estimates the area set in the variable Ma as the segmentregion (area) in which the target ID is present (ACT 79).

Every time a segment region for one ID is estimated, the processor 101checks whether or not the aggregation for all the IDs is ended (ACT 80).If there is an ID for which the segment region is not yet estimated, theprocessor 141 returns to the processing in ACT 71 and executes theprocessing in ACTS 71 to 79 for IDs for which the region estimationprocessing is not yet executed. If the estimation of the segment regionsfor all the IDs is completed, the processor 141 ends the regionestimation processing. As a result of the region estimation processingas described above, the processor 141 obtains information indicating thesegment region in which the tag of each detected ID is present.

FIG. 11 is a table illustrating the result of a region estimationprocessing. In FIG. 11, the segment region estimated in association withthe ID is shown. The processor 141 of the server 40 saves the segmentregion estimated in association with the ID in the storage device 145.The processor 141 may display the result of the region estimationprocessing as shown in FIG. 11 on the display device 147. The processor141 may provide the result of the region estimation processing to theinformation collecting apparatus 1 or other apparatuses. The processor141 may record the result of the region estimation processing on amedium such as a paper by a printer.

According to the information collecting system as described above, theinformation collecting apparatus moves along the route set for each ofthe plurality of segment regions in the search area to detect thepresence or absence of a tag in each segment reason. An informationprocessing apparatus, such as a processor of the server or theinformation collecting apparatus, acquires detection informationindicating the result in which the information collecting apparatusdetects the tag. The information processing apparatus aggregates thenumber of times a particular tag is detected while moving along theroute for each segment region from the detection information. Theinformation processing apparatus estimates the segment region in whichthe tag is present based on the aggregated value obtained by aggregatingthe number of detections of the tag for each segment region.

As a result, the information collecting system can reliably identify thesegment region in which the article is present without depending on theintensity of radio waves, which is adversely affected by posture of thetag (orientation and location). According to the present embodiment, itis unnecessary to determine the intensity of the radio waves with highaccuracy or calculate a distance based on the intensity of the radiowaves, but the segment region in which the article is present can beidentified based on the result of the detection (presence of the tag).According to the present embodiment, the segment region can be set to anarbitrary size corresponding to the route setting, and thus a systemhaving a high versatility can be provided.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the invention. Indeed, the novel embodiments described hereinmay be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentsdescribed herein maybe made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended tocover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information collecting apparatus, comprising:a plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobile apparatus, eachrespective tag reader in the plurality being configured to detect awireless tag attached to an article located within a detection range ofthe respective tag reader; a movement controller configured to controlmovement of the mobile apparatus within a search area along a pluralityof routes, each route enclosing a different segment region of the searcharea; and a data processor configured to: acquire tag detectioninformation of the wireless tag during a time in which the mobileapparatus is moving in a particular route enclosing each segment region,the tag detection information including a number of times the wirelesstag is detected while the mobile apparatus moves along the particularroute, aggregate the number of times for which the wireless tag isdetected during the time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in theparticular route, and identify a particular segment region in which thewireless tag is present based on the aggregated number of times forwhich the wireless tag is detected.
 2. The information collectingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tag detection furtherincludes: tag identity information stored in the wireless tag; a routeidentification for identifying the particular route along which themobile apparatus was moving when the tag identity information isacquired; and a segment region identification for identifying theparticular segment region enclosed by the particular route.
 3. Theinformation collecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein theplurality of tag readers face toward a segment region when the mobileapparatus moves along a route.
 4. The information collecting apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein each route of the plurality of routesincludes a plurality of route parts having different directions, and thedata processor stores a number of times the wireless tag is detectedwhile mobile apparatus moves along each respective route parts.
 5. Theinformation collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein themobile apparatus comprises: a case body; wheels on the case body; and amoving mechanism configured to rotate the wheels.
 6. The informationcollecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the moving mechanismis a motor.
 7. The information collecting apparatus according to claim1, wherein the mobile apparatus is a cart that is manually moved by auser.
 8. An information collecting system, comprising: an informationprocessing device; a plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobileapparatus, each respective tag reader in the plurality being configuredto detect a wireless tag attached to an article located within adetection range of the respective tag reader, and; a movement controllerconfigured to control movement of the mobile apparatus within a searcharea along a plurality of routes, each route enclosing a differentsegment region of the search area; a data processor configured toacquire tag detection information of the wireless tag during a time inwhich the mobile apparatus is moving in a particular route enclosingeach segment region, the tag detection information including a number oftimes the wireless tag is detected while the mobile apparatus movesalong the particular route; a first interface through which the dataprocessor transmits the tag detection information the wireless tag tothe information processing device; a second interface through which theinformation processing device receives the tag detection informationthat is transmitted via the first interface, and a server processorconfigured to aggregate a number of times for which the wireless tag isdetected during the time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in theparticular route that is received via the second interface, and identifya particular segment region in which the wireless tag is present basedon the aggregated number of times for which the wireless tag isdetected.
 9. The information collecting system according to claim 8,wherein the tag detection information further includes: tag identityinformation from the wireless tag; a route identification foridentifying the particular route along which the mobile apparatus wasmoving when the tag identity information was collected; and a segmentregion identification for identifying the particular segment regionenclosed by the particular route.
 10. The information collecting systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the plurality of tag readers faces towarda segment region when the mobile apparatus moves along a route.
 11. Theinformation collecting system according to claim 8, wherein each routeof the plurality of routes includes a plurality of route parts matchingdifferent directions, and the server processor stores a number of timesthe wireless tag is detected while mobile apparatus moves along eachrespective route parts.
 12. The information collecting system accordingto claim 8, wherein the mobile apparatus comprises: a case body; wheelson the case body; and a moving mechanism configured to rotate thewheels.
 13. The information collecting system according to claim 12,wherein moving mechanism is a motor.
 14. The information collectingsystem according to claim 8, wherein the mobile apparatus is a cart thatis manually moved by a user.
 15. An information collecting apparatus,comprising: a case body; wheels on the case body; a moving mechanismconfigured to rotate the wheels; a support body attached to the casebody; a plurality of tag readers attached to the support body, eachrespective tag reader in the plurality being configured to detect awireless tag attached to an article located within a detection range ofthe respective tag reader; a movement controller configured to controlmovement of the mobile apparatus within a search area along a pluralityof routes, each route enclosing a different segment region of the searcharea; and a control device on the case body, the control deviceconfigured to: acquire tag detection information of the wireless tagduring a time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in a particularroute enclosing each segment region, the tag detection informationincluding a number of times the wireless tag is detected while themobile apparatus moves along the particular route, aggregate the numberof times for which the wireless tag is detected during the time in whichthe mobile apparatus is moving in the particular route, and identify aparticular segment region in which the wireless tag is present based onthe aggregated number of times for which the wireless tag is detected.16. The information collecting apparatus according to claim 15, whereinthe tag detection information further includes: tag identity informationfrom the wireless tag; a route identification for identifying theparticular route along which the mobile apparatus was moving when thetag identity information was acquired; and a segment regionidentification for identifying the particular segment region enclosed bythe particular route.
 17. The information collecting apparatus accordingto claim 16, wherein the plurality of tag readers face toward a segmentregion when the mobile apparatus moves along a route.
 18. Theinformation collecting apparatus according to claim 15, wherein eachroute of the plurality of routes includes a plurality of route partshaving different directions, and the control device stores a number oftimes the wireless tag is detected while mobile apparatus moves alongeach respective route part.
 19. The information collecting apparatusaccording to claim 15, wherein the moving mechanism is a motor.
 20. Theinformation collecting apparatus according to claim 15, wherein theplurality of tag readers is aligned in a row in a first direction thatis perpendicular to a second direction along which the case body moves.